1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for providing information and a printing system used at a museum, an exhibition or other meeting places.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, at a meeting place such as a museum or an exhibition, tourers are usually handed some materials about the display. The tourer who is handed unnecessary materials may feel somewhat troublesome with increased baggage. For the exhibitor, on the other hand, it may take a wasteful cost for distributing materials to every tourer without considering his or her need. In addition, the waste of resources such as paper is not good for environmental protection.
There is another method for distributing materials, in which materials are not handed but are placed near an exhibit, so that tourers can take the materials without restraint. Though this method can reduce the waste compared with the handing method, the materials should be prepared sufficiently so as not to be run out.
To solve this problem, it may be considered to print the materials just on demand of the tour. In this method, a technique called a xe2x80x9cnetwork printingxe2x80x9d in which a printer is shared via a network can be used. Every booth is provided with a terminal, which is connected to the communication network, to which a printer is connected. Then, each terminal transmits print data to the printer for printing.
Recently, several standards are proposed for the network printing. For example, the IPP (INTERNET Printing Protocol) is a communications protocol that is proposed as an upper layer protocol of the TCP/IP. The IPP enables to transmit print data to a printer belonging to another LAN via the INTERNET, so as to perform printing.
However, in the conventional network printing including the one using the IPP, it is required to transmit print data from a terminal to a printer.
Therefore, even if a computer except the terminal at the exhibition booth stores print data, it is required to download print data into a terminal in the exhibition booth, and then transmit the data to a printer. In other words, it is not permitted to transmit print data from a computer storing the print data to a printer directly. However, it is desirable for exhibitor to transmit print data to a printer directly for reducing a load of a terminal, for managing print data, or for reducing communication traffic.
In addition, it is desirable for tourers that the operation of a terminal for demanding materials is easy.
Furthermore, there is a case where one printer located remotely from the exhibition booth is used for printing materials or another case where materials demanded by many tourers are printed by using one printer. In these cases, it is desired to provide each tourer with the materials efficiently.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for providing tourers with information smoothly at a museum, an exhibition or other meeting places, and a print system for providing tourers with printed materials there.
A method for providing information according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of installing an ID reading device corresponding to an exhibit for reading a user ID from an ID recording medium, letting the ID reading device read the ID recording medium that a user carries, so as to obtain information about the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device, and passing the obtained information to the user who carries the ID recording medium that was used for obtaining the information.
Preferably, contents of the obtained information are printed by a printer, and the information as a printed matter is passed to the user.
Alternatively, the obtained information is transmitted to an address designated by the user in the form of an electronic mail.
Alternatively, when using paper as a medium for providing information, the method for providing a printed matter comprises the steps of installing an ID reading device corresponding to an exhibit for reading a user ID from an ID recording medium, letting the ID reading device read the ID recording medium that a user carries, so as to obtain information about the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device, printing the information by a printer when the ID recording medium is read by an ID reading device that is provided for instructing a print process, and passing a printed matter to the user who carries the ID recording medium corresponding to the printed matter.
In another embodiment, the method for providing a printed matter comprise the steps of installing an ID reading device corresponding to an exhibit for reading a user ID from an ID recording medium, letting the ID reading device read the ID recording medium that a user carries, so as to obtain information about the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device via the INTERNET in accordance with a set URL, printing the information by a printer while sorting the information for each ID of the ID recording medium carried by the user, passing the printed matter to the user who carries the ID recording medium corresponding to the printed matter.
An information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an ID reading device installed corresponding to an exhibit for reading a user ID from an ID recording medium, obtaining means for obtaining information relating to the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device in accordance with an output of the ID reading device, and recording means for recording the obtained information onto an information recording medium.
A print system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an ID reading device installed corresponding to an exhibit for reading a user ID from an ID recording medium, obtaining means for obtaining information relating to the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device in accordance with an output of the ID reading device, print instructing means for issuing a print instruction of the obtained information, and a printer for printing the information about which the print instruction is issued so as to output a printed matter.
Preferably, an ID reading device is provided for issuing the print instruction, and the print instructing means issue the print instruction when the user lets the ID reading device read the ID recording medium.
Alternatively, the print instructing means issue the print instruction of the information obtained by the obtaining means in accordance with an output of the ID reading device, and the printer prints the information about which the print instruction is issued while sorting the information for each ID.
Moreover, the obtaining means obtain the information via the INTERNET in accordance with a URL that is set in relation to the exhibit.
In another embodiment, the method for providing information comprises the steps of installing the information providing system at a meeting place, distributing an ID recording medium storing a user ID for identifying a user to each of the users entering the meeting place, reading the ID recording medium by the ID reading device that is installed corresponding to an exhibit in the meeting place, so as to obtain information about the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device, recording the obtained information onto the information recording medium, and passing the information recording medium to the user having the ID recording medium corresponding to the information recording medium at an exit of the meeting place.
In still another embodiment, the method for providing information comprises the steps of installing a print system in a meeting place, distributing an ID recording medium storing a user ID for identifying a user to each of the users entering the meeting place, reading the ID recording medium by the ID reading device that is installed corresponding to an exhibit in the meeting place, so as to obtain information about the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device, printing the obtained information by a printer, and passing the printed matter to the user having the ID recording medium corresponding to the printed matter at an exit of the meeting place.
An event system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a system for providing information to a user entering an event meeting place. The system comprises an ID reading device installed corresponding to an exhibit for reading a user ID from an ID recording medium, user information obtaining means for obtaining private information of the user, user information recording means for recording the private information, obtaining means for obtaining information relating to the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device in accordance with an output of the ID reading device, and recording means for recording the obtained information onto an information recording medium.
Preferably, the event system for providing information to a user entering an event meeting place comprises user information obtaining means for obtaining private information of the user, user information recording means for recording the private information of the user and a user ID issued for the user onto the ID recording medium, an ID reading device installed corresponding to an exhibit for reading the user ID from the ID recording medium, obtaining means for obtaining information relating to the exhibit corresponding to the ID reading device in accordance with an output of the ID reading device, and recording means for recording the obtained information onto an information recording medium.
FIG. 1 is a block. diagram showing a structure of a print system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a table of an example of information including a card reader name memorized in a database.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining functional structure of the print system in the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the process of the print system.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining functional structure of the print system in a second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a structure of an event system.